New rules strike at heart of low-cost model

New rules created by the US Department of Transportation with the consumer in mind, cancelling unexpected baggage costs and full-fee advertised fares, have now taken effect. The law forces airlines to advertise the actual price that passengers will be charged; forces them to disclose baggage fees when tickets are bought; forces them to tell passengers if a flight is cancelled, diverted or delayed by more than 30 minutes; bans them from charging further fees if they make connections to other airlines; and allows passengers to hold a reservation without payment for 24 hours – or cancel it – if the reservation is made more than a week before the flight.Carriers such as Spirit Airlines are known for their attention-grabbing $9 and one-cent fares, although ads include an asterisk pointing to the small-print: “Additional terms, conditions and fees apply”.“We don’t think the rules are fair,” Airlines for America, a trade group, says. “You don’t see this happening to other travel services. A hotel advertises a nightly rate, but it doesn’t say anything about taxes, and there’s a long list. Most consumers understand that taxes will be added on at the cash register.”NJ[pictured: Finnair A340; courtesy Finnair]